11 Young Football Talents in Turkey

Turkey has always been a hotbed of footballing talent. After all, there’s a reason why no one wants to draw the likes of Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Fenerbahce in European competition.

Although many top Turkish players are plying their trade in other leagues around the world, there are still some gems to be unearthed in the Süper Lig. Today we will list 11 of the best fot you. And they will be the FIFA Career Mode star in the near future.

GoalkeeperGünay Güvenç
The Turkish Süper Lig isn’t exactly home to the finest goalkeeping talent on the planet, but there are some solid keepers lurking. If you’re looking for rising young star, you should take a look at Mert Kuleli from Çaykur Rizespor – a 17-year-old with almost 20 points of growth potential. Otherwise, plump for Beşiktaş’ Güvenç. He’s already a decent shot stopper, thanks to his 78 positioning and 77 diving, but he’ll improve to around 79 overall, making him dependable, if not world class.

Left BackEmre Taşdemir
Taşdemir is a great young talent, who has arguably been underrated by EA this year, both in terms of his potential and his current ability. His pace is undoubtedly one of his strongest assets, 84 acceleration, 83 sprint speed and 82 balance make him a threat up and down the left wing, and although he’s not going to score you any goals, he could set up plenty if you work on his passing in training. Taşdemir will go from 70 to 80 overall with some time invested, netting you a quality left back at a very reasonable price.

Centre BackAhmet Yılmaz Çalık
Gençlerbirliği’s Çalık has represented Turkey at every age group from under 16 upwards, and having made his debut for the Turkish national team last year, he looks ready and able to become a top class centre back. Although EA don’t have him pegged for that sort of stardom in FIFA 16 Career Mode, he’s still a worthy purchase. He starts off with some fairly average stats, but he has a good defensive and physical foundation for you to build on, and he’s pacey enough to be useful as well. Perhaps best of all, he’s still just 21 and unlikely to cost you much on the transfer market.

Centre BackSimon Kjær
Danish defender Simon Kjær has been tipped for big things for a while now, ever since his days at Palermo when every big club in Europe wanted to sign him. Though he never quite lived up to that hype, Kjær is still a very solid centre back, and EA still rate him very highly in Career Mode. All his defending stats are 80+ and he’s got good strength and aggression on top of that, but best of all, he still has a potential rating of 85 overall, despite his 26 years of age. Overrated? Perhaps, but that’s all the more reason to sign him up before he gets a downgrade next year.

Right BackLuis Pedro Cavanda
Belgian Cavanda brings searing pace and a workhorse mentality to your right flank, thanks to 90 acceleration, 92 sprint speed and 83 stamina. He’s decent on the ball as his dribbling stat would suggest, and he’s an excellent tackler too, boasting 76 standing tackle and 78 sliding tackle. At 24 years old, there’s not so much room for Cavanda to grow as there is with Taşdemir on the other side, but he’ll still get up to a solid 82 overall with some time on the training pitch.

Left MidfieldYusuf Erdoğan
Formerly a left back, Erdoğan has recently made the transition up the pitch to the left wing, where his electric pace and silky dribbling skills. There’s plenty of room for improvement, particularly where his finishing and passing are concerned, but with 81 stamina, 81 curve and excellent balance and agility, Erdoğan has plenty of tools required to grow into a quality winger. Plus, he’s only 23, with plenty of time to grow into an 83 overall rating.

Centre MidfieldOğuzhan Özyakup
Alongside Genk’s Enes Ünal and Bayer Leverkusen’s free-kick master Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Özyakup represents the bright future of Turkish football. The Beşiktaş central midfielder is originally a product of the Arsenal academy, but the Gunners released him in 2012 and their loss has been Beşiktaş’s gain. If you’re looking for a good attack-minded midfielder, Özyakup has the lot – four-star skill moves, 78 shot power and long shooting, great dribbling and outstanding passing. And if you think he’s good now, wait until he hits his 85 overall potential.

Centre MidfieldOkay Yokuşlu
Yokuşlu is the workhorse of our XI, and makes for an extremely adaptable signing if you pick him up early in your Career Mode playthrough. His 85 stamina stands out immediately as a huge upside, but aside from that, he’s a jack of all trades. In Career Mode, that’s a good thing – Yokuşlu is only 21 years old, and with 11 points of potential growth in the tank, you can mould him into the midfielder you need him to be, whether that’s a box-to-box engine, or a holding midfield general.Centre Attacking Midfield

Recep Niyaz
Niyaz is far from a finished product, but he has mountains of potential. On top of that, the foundation is there in terms of his numbers to make him into a real attacking threat at the top of this midfield triangle. At just 17 years old, he already boasts 92 agility and 92 balance, as well as 70 vision. His pace will improve a bit as well as he approaches his twenties, and if you work on his passing and shooting a bit on the training ground, he’ll become a real asset in a few years, with a potential overall of 81.

Right MidfieldGökhan Töre
Töre should be fairly familiar to most European football fans – he’s been linked with many clubs across the Premier League, Serie A and he even spent some time at Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga before eventually finding his way to Turkey. He’s your prototypical winger, boasting great dribbling and pace, as well as important passing stats like 80 crossing and 78 curve. He’s not the best finisher, but 78 long shots and 79 shot power make him a threat from range, and he still has some growth in him too, up to a potential overall of 85.

StrikerCenk Tosun
He may not look it from his picture, but Tosun is still only 24, with some good growth potential left in the tank. His strengths are undoubtedly in the air rather than on the ground – he’s not especially pacey or technical on the ball, but Tosun is already a skilled finisher, and his 81 positioning, 82 heading and 81 jumping make him a potent threat at crosses and set pieces. Plus, with six points of growth still to go – taking him from 77 to 83 overall – you could credibly make him into a Drogba-esque lone striker.